DoorsOfYourLife.com » New Development

Mid-Market Mall Plan Continues to Move Forward

Doors Of Your Life — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:45:00 +0000

Downtrodden mid-Market Street is on the road to renewal after a five-story mall development survived a challenge Tuesday by groups who favor polices encouraging public transit, walking and bicycling over driving vehicles.

The Board of Supervisors voted 9-0 Tuesday to reject an appeal of the project’s environmental review, drawing praise from supporters who say the glass-fronted mall, known as CityPlace, is exactly what’s needed to transform the area plagued by crime, empty storefronts and homelessness.

The proposed CityPlace is a five-story, 90-foot-tall building with 375,700 gross square feet, of which about 260,000 will be used for retail, at 935-965 Market St. between Fifth and Sixth streets.

“The Board of Supervisors did the right thing for the Central Market neighborhood and for our entire city by rejecting the appeal of the CityPlace environmental review,” Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a released
statement.

“By approving CityPlace today, San Francisco took another major step toward transforming the Central Market neighborhood and restoring Market Street to its original role as our city’s ‘Main Street.’”

City Hall Watch: Mid-Market mall plan clears another hurdle[SFExaminer}

238 Olive: New Luxury Solar Condos- Walking Distance to Hayes Valley

Doors Of Your Life — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:48:44 +0000

Eight brand new modern homes located in the heart of San Francisco`s most accessible and convenient neighborhood, 238 Olive Street is within walking distance to Hayes Valley, Cathedral Hill, Civic Center and the Lower Fillmore District. With a Walk-Score of 98, shopping, dining, nightlife and public transportation are all within immediate reach. These homes come equipped with state of the art technology, designer finishes, open floor plans and are each comprised of 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1 car parking.

Individual Residence Features:
• 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bath Split Floor Plan
• Spacious Open Living Room Combination
• Floor-to-Ceiling Windows
• Walnut Finished Hardwood Floors
• Track Lighting
• Gas Fireplace
• Generous Closet and Pantry Space
• Washer/Dryer Hook Ups
• Surround Sound Installed Speaker System
• Alarm System controlled by Intertie Sytems
• CAT 5 Wiring

Prices starting in the $700,000′s.

This 8 unit development is exclusively listed by Suzanne Gregg and Jason Gorski with the Paragon Real Estate Group.

Luxury Nob Hill Condos

Doors Of Your Life — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:34:39 +0000

A huge hurdle has been cleared by Maritz Wolff & Co. and Kingdom Hotels International, with the completion of an environmental impact report, regarding their proposal to add a $130 million, 160-unit condo project at the site of the original Fairmont Hotel.

As reported by the San Francisco Business Times-

The new tower, which would replace a non-historic 1961 building and cut the number of hotel rooms from 591 to between 305 and 565, would be the first significant residential highrise development on Nob Hill in more than 40 years. While the project still must win multiple rounds of approvals — including a preservationist battle with fans of the kitschy and much-loved Tonga Room — it would test the appetite for new luxury condos in a neighborhood known for old-school institutions like the Union Club and Grace Cathedral.

If indeed the project passes, I’m sure the developers won’t have a bit of trouble selling these luxury condos in this affluent enclave of high-end residential homes.

[Fairmont Condos Would Test Market]- San Francisco Business Times

The Artani is Back on the Market

Doors Of Your Life — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:12:19 +0000

After waiting out the market, developers have decided to bring the elegant and sophisticated 52 home boutique building, The Artani, back online. Units are being released periodically and buyers seem to be responding! Three of the six, available, units have already gone pending. One bedrooms are starting at $479. One bedroom dens with two full baths are starting at $549 (great deal) and two bedroom, two baths are starting at $699, with new units coming all the time! Unit 203 was just released and is amazing; quiet, private back SE corner with HUGE patio for $549,000!

The homes are spread out amongst 8 stories with a roof top deck, featuring high quality hardwood floors, Bosch and Viking appliances, and Caesar stone counter tops. Situated just steps away from the Civic Center, The Artani, is surrounded by a collection of the city’s most beautiful governmental and cultural establishments truly making it a neighborhood like no other.

Contact us for more details. We have our pulse on the latest releases and news.

555 Washington St. Project – Moves Forward

Doors Of Your Life — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:23:37 +0000

Developers of the project, 555 Washington St. won the first round of approvals, over a controversial 430-foot condominium tower on the same block as San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid.

The city’s Planning Commission narrowly approved the environmental study for the controversial project at 555 Washington St. by a 4-3 vote, but not before commissioners clashed repeatedly, including over how much the tower would shadow parks, whether it would kill nearby redwood trees, even whether a “reduction of interior house plants” could stop birds from slamming into the proposed building’s glass facade.

Aegon USA, which owns the Transamerica Pyramid and the entire block bounded by Clay and Washington and Sansome and Montgomery streets, wants to demolish a nine-story office building at 545 Sansome St. and a single-story building nearby to make way for an ecofriendly 248-unit condo tower and underground parking garage.

They also had a dustup over delaying a vote on land use approvals because there wasn’t proper public notification on one of the items. They were postponed until April 15.

Full article here

Controversial Condo Project Moves Forward [SFGATE]

San Francisco’s New Development Projects

Doors Of Your Life — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:06:05 +0000

New developments in San Francisco coming down the pipe.

The city issued their latest report on new-development projects in various states of process.

Socketsite explains the housing pipeline is as so:

128 projects with 1,320 housing units are currently under construction
90 projects representing 2,070 units have received a building permit
328 projects representing 4,620 units have applied for a building permit
119 projects representing 8,220 units have been approved by the Planning Department
108 projects representing 30,370 units have filed for Planning Department approval.

Overall pipeline residential units currently total 46,600, down from 54,790 in the second quarter of 2009, but up from 30,002 in the first quarter of 2007. Of course the share of those under construction (4,978 in 2007) has shifted and applications for proposed new units have plummeted over the past two years

New Proposed San Francisco Skyscraper

Doors Of Your Life — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:05:20 +0000

More Condos May Be on the Rise in San Francisco’s Financial District

Developers went in front of the Planning Commission Thursday, February 11th, to propose a 248-unit condo building located at 555 Washington St. The building would rise 430 feet next to the Transamerica Pyramid, in the heart of the financial district.

The Planning Commission came up one vote shy of derailing the condominium and failed to certify the environmental impact report, which is needed for the project to proceed.

Opponents claim that the development will require exemptions from several land uses that regulate everything from shadows and height to wind and parking which ultimately create a bad precedent.

But those in favor of the project say it would lead to a number of different things such as, provide much need housing, instill a new spark into the area, be built with an eco-friendly approaching, create jobs, and provide more open space.

The consideration of the development has now been delayed until March 18, when both the Planning Commission and the Recreation and Park Commission can attend the hearing jointly.

Temporary Uses for Stalled Development Sites

Doors Of Your Life — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:38:45 +0000

The Newsom administration is drafting legislation to encourage San Francisco developers to occupy empty lotson a short-term basis with such initiatives as tree farms or public art.

What’s being called a “green development agreement” would offer a trade-off. Landowners with approved projects stalled by the real estate slump could lock in their right to build if the land is used in ways that offer visual, environmental or cultural benefits until construction begins.

“The goal is simply to say, ‘This is your ensured development, and in return we want a good public use,’ ” said Michael Yarne, an adviser to Mayor Gavin Newsom. “We want to create a standardized process to transform empty lots into spaces that are productive and beautiful.”

The effort began after a 2009 Chronicle series on lots that are left to languish during economic slumps. The problem is especially vivid south of Market Street, where large sites were cleared for towers that now are on hold because of economic uncertainty.

At present, entitlements for many large projects must be renewed each year. While extensions are granted routinely, the sites sit bare and often attract graffiti and trash.

Garden taking root

There is also a lag along Octavia Boulevard, where plans call for housing on city-owned lots. However, the developers selected in a competition have not been able to nail down construction loans.

Neighbors still want housing – in the meantime, the city has arranged for short-term use of several sites. The most visible for now is on the narrow block between Oak and Page streets, where work has begun on a garden that will be tended in part by clients of the city’s Project Homeless Connect.

The green development agreements would require the blessing of the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. The mayor’s office plans to submit the proposed legislation next month.

The concept may be tested at the corner of Harrison and Fremont streets, where a 41-story tower is approved for the acre-plus sloped lot that greets drivers exiting the Bay Bridge.

Portable trees

The developer is readying a proposal in which the site would be used to grow street trees in containers in return for extended rights. There also might be extensive plantings of a strain of miscanthus that grows 13 feet tall. The grass pulls carbon from the air and can be used to produce biofuel.

“We’re open to the idea, willing and excited,” said Doug Wildman of Friends of the Urban Forest, which has talked with the owner, Fifield, about managing the “farm” and using it for educational purposes. By raising trees in the city where they’ll be planted, he added, “they get acclimated much more easily.”

Also involved at 399 Fremont is Rebar Group, a self-described collective of “artists and activists and designers.”

Rebar has prepared a set of potential interim uses that might satisfy the city’s green development agreement.

The group envisions activities that “represent a significant improvement over existing vacant/unimproved site conditions.” Among the options are using the land temporarily for urban farming or landscapes that create habitat for birds and insects.

Another idea is to create spaces for neighborhood festivals or gatherings. Similarly, art could be installed for set periods of time. Planter boxes and performance stages could be moved to another site once construction begins.

Keeping it simple

Supporters of interim uses sound a note of caution: Setting expectations too high or making the process too elaborate could backfire.

“The more difficult you get, the more resistance from developers there will be,” said Kathrin Moore, a member of the Planning Commission. “We need ease of implementation, and something that harmonizes with the neighborhood.”

Moore sees it in builder self-interest to prevent blight from getting a toehold in neighborhoods such as Rincon Hill, where the city has put plans in place that encourage new projects.

“We can’t afford to have a neighborhood defined by vacant lots and chain-link fences” when developers are seeking loans to start construction, Moore said. “Developers need to realize they’re going to improve each other’s negotiating position.”

Other cities have pursued similar efforts.

One ambitious example is in New York City, where a development site is being managed by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Dubbed LentSpace, it includes sculptures, benches and planters that hold trees destined to line nearby streets.

“At the end of the day, there’s no lack of ideas being batted around for these sites,” said John Bela of Rebar. “The problem is, how do you implement them?”

Transit Center District Plan

Doors Of Your Life — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:11:22 +0000

The 25-year plan for the Transbay Terminal-adjacent “Transit Center District” has just been released by the San Francisco Planning Department. In the proposal are six new skyscrapers, including the central 950-foot Transbay Tower, which would be 100 feet taller than the TransAmerica Pyramid. Above is a rendering of what the San Francisco skyline might look like, 20 or 25 years from now. Dates have not been set for the first public meetings about the plan, but they are expected to be soon. The draft Environmental Impact Report won’t be released until mid-2010, and plan adoption won’t be underway until late next year. Please note, this is just a plan, not a design, and the image above is meant only to illustrate relative heights.